Ghandi’s Top 10 Ways to Change the World

Posted on March 21, 2012 by flamidwyfe

A lesson we could all learn from. Can you imagine, for one moment, what one single day would be like if everyone followed these simple principles? It would be amazing. I find myself not doing random acts of kindness here in China… no one looks at you and smiles, just blank stares at the “foreigner” and that has really changed my attitude… sad, but true. The other day I decided that needed to change. And I’ve been trying to smile more at the starers instead of making a negative comment. It has affected my own inner peace, as well as getting a few smiles back.

I challenge everyone to try these principles to day and let’s see how fantastic your Wednesday turns out!

Ciao!

Dukan – Day 213 – Dukan Recipe – Chicken with Olives

Posted on March 19, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Monday was a PV day 🙂

Today marks the 7th month since I started this life changing journey on August 20th.
Here are the stats: (you have to read all the way to the bottom to get the final stat) 😀

Aug 20, 2011 / March 20, 2012
Chest: 42 / 36
Waist: 45 / 33
Hips: 56 / 42 (LOL, my HIPS are smaller than what my WAIST was!)

Daily weight Gain: 0.4 lb/0.2 kg
Total weight Loss: 79.0 lb/35.91 kg

😀 I knew that would happen… LOL… 2 steps forward 1/2 a step back… Hakuna Matata, I had a pretty good day. Worked 1/2 a day to make up for working all day on Sunday.

Breakfast: 2 tea eggs
Lunch: Citrus Pork and Onions (recipe posted yesterday)
Dinner: Chicken with Olives – recipe posted below

Water: 2 liters
Exercise: Walk to and from work 2 miles roundtrip
C25K run: 2.13 miles

RECIPE: DUKAN CHICKEN WITH OLIVES
This recipe comes from my favorite Dukan recipe blog Hapa Couple. I changed it up a little bit to make it Dukan Cruise friendly and because some of the items on their list are not necessarily available here in China. Additionally, I don’t have an oven, so mine was cooked on the gas burner. Also, their recipe is for 4 Servings.

Servings: 2
Ingredients:
1 Tbs Olive Oil
2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts – cut into strips or cubes
1/2 large Red onion – I cut mine chunky
5 cloves of garlic – minced
1 green pepper – I cut mine chunky
1 14oz can of whole tomatoes – chopped
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth (mixed 1/2 c hot water with 1 cube and stirred)
2 Tbs of Skim milk mixed with 1 tsp corn starch
8 – 10 whole green olives (stuffed) *couldn’t get these, so I sliced mine off the pit

Place 1/2 Tbs Olive oil in pan on med/high heat and add chicken. Brown on both sides, remove to a bowl.

Place 1/2 Tbs Olive oil in pan on medium heat and add onion, garlic and pepper, cook for 3 minutes.

Add tomatoes to the pan and cook for 2 minutes.

Pour in chicken broth, stir and cover for 2 minutes.

Add cooked chicken into mix and reduce temperature to low. Simmer 7 minutes.

Pour in the cornstarch mix stir, Add Olives, stir. Simmer 2 minutes.
Enjoy!

You could put this over zucchini pasta it’s zucchini cut to resemble pasta and parboiled… OR you could put this over shiritaki noodles.
We ate it as is, kind of like a stew and it was delish! I also prepared a fresh, organic green salad that had the yummiest combination of greens in it… and a splash of olive oil… Yum

Delish dinner!

And the final stat that I promised at the top. I haven’t mentioned on my blog my starting weight OR my current weight at any point. Few people knew (up til now) how much I weighed when I started on Dukan.

WEIGHT:
AUGUST 20, 2012 = 255
MARCH 20, 2012 = 176

I still have 11 pounds to reach Dukan’s True Weight of 165 lbs and 21 pounds to MY goal of 155.

I can’t say it enough times… the support I get from all of you; my family, friends and new blogger friends has been the key to my success. I am humbled by your kind words and cheering!

Blessings and Ciao!
Sandi

Dukan – Days 211 & 212 – Whooshing

Posted on March 18, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Well, I had a blog break yesterday due to a momma calling in labor while I was typing out the morning blog 😀

Saturday was a PP day on purpose
Sunday was a PP day because I was at the hospital until 9 p.m.

Two whooshes have me elated, yet worried… LOLl
Saturday:
Daily weight loss: 1.3 lbs/0.60 kg
Total weight loss: 78.1 lb/35.51 kg
then Sunday:
Daily weight loss: 1.3 lb/0.60 kg
Total weight loss: 79.4 lb/36.11 kg

Saturday food:
Breakfast: 2 tea eggs, coffee
Only worked 1/2 a day so had a yummy lunch: I stir fried 2 tea eggs, 1/4 onion, 5 garlic cloves and 3 slices of bacon with some Italian seasoning… life doesn’t get better than that (I trimmed most of the fat from the bacon, and only allow myself bacon 2x a month… it’s my favorite food GROUP).
Dinner: Chicken breast stir fried with onions and garlic stems
Snack: 2 egg omelet with 2 TBS bran and diced onions

Water: 3 liters
Exercise:
Walk to work 1 mile/1.5 kms
Walk home from work 1 mile/1.5 kms
Walk to 35mm for 2 cafe latte’s with skim milk: 1.61 miles/2.6 km
Walk home from cafe the scenic route along canal: 2.6 miles/4.18 km
C25K run: 2.14 miles/3.44 km
**I think I got my exercise in on Saturday 😀

Sunday food:
Breakfast: 3 oz of steak and 2 eggs (I ate instead of blogging, once the patient called!)
Lunch: 2 tea eggs
Very late dinner: Chicken leg and 2 tea eggs (patient’s hubby got for me)… Spicy!
Snack at 11 p.m.: 2% Greek yogurt… My food order came from Shanghai and they didn’t have fat free in stock, so sent 2%… in all actuality, the 2% has less carbs than the fat free… I’ll sacrifice!

Water: 1.5 liters
Exercise:
Walk to work: 1 mile/1.5 kms
Supporting a woman in labor for 10 hours (walking her, massaging her, supporting her… it’s work!)
Ran with 2 year old in arms about 50 yards to hail taxi at 9 p.m., with my backpack and his overnight bag on my back!!! I’d say this was more exercise than running a 5K … lol

Lovely baby girl born at 535 p.m., all happy and well and then Soren’s mommy came in with some tummy trouble and I took him home with me for a few hours so she could be treated and I could have fun! We played games on the iPad and read… as stated before, he’s a pretty cool 2 year old to hang with!
Here he is playing Animal Safari, you can see Bert and Barbie the bunny snuggling behind him…

So… that was my 2 days… going in an hour late this morning since I worked all day and then some on my day off and I have a bit of a headache 😦 The weather is getting better, for the most part… it is raining out there this morning, but in the last 7 days we’ve had 4 sunshiny days, and that makes me a wee bit happier!

Ciao!

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”
~ Maria Robinson

How Did That Happen??

Posted on March 17, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Tonight, while on Facebook a pic popped up on my friend Michele’s Timeline… it was a pic with both of us in it, taken by our friend Bernadette… This was Sunday, August 7, 2011, 13 days before I started the Dukan Diet… I will never, ever look like this again… How the hell did I get that big?? That’s a rhetorical question, by the way… I was lacing on my running shoes when I saw the picture and it gave me even more incentive to run tonight!!! Here it is…

Ugh!

And me mountain hiking last Sunday, March 11, 2012… 7 months later… yeah, I like this ME much better!

Much Better 🙂

What’s your incentive to stay on your program???

Dukan – Day 210 – 30 weeks and still losing!

Posted on March 17, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Friday was a PP day 🙂

Daily weight loss: 0.2 lb/0.10 kg
Total weight loss: 76.8 lb/34.91 kg

An up and down week weight wise, but had a net .6 kg loss, so I’m happy with that! I had several meals out entertaining guests of the hospital and I’m sure that contributed because I can’t control that like I can the food I make.

I can’t believe it’s been 30 weeks since I embarked on this journey. Along the way I’ve lost weight equivalent to:
1 baby llama
The average Irish Setter
The average 11 year old
6 American Bald Eagles
245 iPhones
6825 US nickels
720,000 million human sperm
4800 cups of popcorn

I think that’s pretty impressive 🙂

Additionally I have gained a lot of friends through other blogs. Wow what a support group I have! And I am following a few dozen blogs. And read each and every one of them.

My family (especially my amazing Mom) and my friends have helped me get this far by cheering me on and keeping me accountable.

So I keep plugging on… To reach my True Weight established by Dr. Dukan I only have
13.2 lbs/6.0 kgs to go. I’m going for 10 pounds less than that.

AND… I signed up to run my first 5K while home on vacation in June. I was nauseous for the hour after I clicked the “Send” button on the registration! Memories of finishing last in swim competitions fill my head, but memories of my mom and dad encouraging me and telling me how awesome I did push it back… A little. The 5K is in Ocala, near my Mom! So I’m hoping she’ll be there cheering for me at the end 🙂

Friday Food:
Breakfast: 2 tea eggs, 1 coffee
Lunch: 2 tea eggs, 3 slices ham
Dinner: Grilled chicken with lime juice squeezed on and cracked black pepper and onions and garlic stems
Snack: A 2 egg omelet with 2 TBS bran, garlic powder and 1/2 diced garlic stem… Yum

Friday Exercise: Walk to work 1 mile/1.5 km
Walk home from work, same, same
Run: 2.5 km run, 3 min walk, 1.5 km run, 25 min walk… Felt great 🙂

Ciao!

I thought Friday was St Patty’s Day and was so excited to put on the green… LOL. Didn’t realize it was only the 16th… 😀 I love this top! And Happy St Patty’s Day!

Dukan – Day 208

Posted on March 14, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Wednesday was a PV day.

Daily weight loss: Stay the same
Total weight loss: 76.1 lb/34.61 kg

Hmmmmm, tap foot… I guess no gain is better than nothing, LOL. Two nights dining out might be the reason and the fact I still haven’t, well you know 🙂

Breakfast: 2 tea eggs
Lunch: 2 tea eggs and 3 slices of ham
Dinner: Steak fajita w/onions and pepper and a TBS of guacamole & beef soup with carrots and zucchini in clear broth

Water: 2.3 liters
Additional fluids: 2 cups of coffee
Exercise:
Morning- 1 mile/1.5 km walk to work
Evening- 2.1 mile/3.2 km to dinner at Panchos
After dinner- 1.2 mile/1.7 km walk home
And then- 2.31 mile/3.7 km run in the neighborhood

I think I’m getting enough exercise 😀

I floated a napkin across the top to try to sop up some of the fat... it was still yummy!

Doing It Your Way

Posted on March 13, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Every day, even here in China, I have at least one person tell me I’ve lost enough weight. Why is it that people can’t just let you be in regard to weight loss? I still have 12 pounds to be at Dr. Dukan’s very generous “True Weight” for me of 165 and 22 pounds to be at the 155 I set for myself.

My other favorite is people who tell me I shouldn’t be running… I’m going to tear up my knees… I got news for ya peeps… I’ve had 2 surgeries on the left and one on the right… I’ve got 2 screws in the upper part of my right tibia… I saw the orthopedist in January while I was home and he said my knees looked better than before! And encouraged me to keep running… he even said HE COULDN’T BELIEVE he was saying that… So I’m going to keep running, because it makes me feel good! 🙂

I feel so lucky to have the support from my family, friends and fellow bloggers. But there are a few people out there that have private messaged me (you know who you are…LOL) to tell me that enough’s enough. What the hell?

Do you have people in your life that try to derail you from accomplishing goals? Do you find that these are typically people that don’t achieve their goals and therefore aren’t happy to see others in their lives succeed?

Onward I go! Ciao!

Dukan – Day 206 – Getting there

Posted on March 12, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Monday was a PP day.

Daily weight loss: 0.4 lb/0.20 kg
Total weight loss: 77 lb/35.01 kg

Breakfast: 2 Tea Eggs, cup of coffee, 500mL water
Lunch: 2 Tea Eggs, 3 slices of deli ham (make sure you check the carb count on the back!) 700mL water
Snack: 1 Tea Egg, 500mL water
Early Dinner: 4 oz. steak (cubed) stir-fried with 1/2 onion and 5 smashed garlic and Italian seasonings, 500mL water, cup of tea
Late Snack: 2 eggs, scrambled with a teeny bit of onion, a splash of FF milk, & 2 Tbs. flax seed meal, 200mL water and a cup of Kava tea.

**Just want to note again… I usually only eat the yolk from my first Tea Egg in the morning, the rest of the time I toss it and only eat the whites. I did eat the yolk of my late snack eggs.

My legs are kind of achy from the mountain hike yesterday, so I did a 2.5 mile walk instead of a run.

It was a good day, the sun shone through the pollution all day long, everyone’s mood seemed better 😀

Sensational Sunday

Posted on March 11, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Wow what a Sunday I had! And the sun even peeked out for a few hours through the smog!

I started out early with Kitty meeting me downstairs and the driver taking us out of the city to a TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) doctor. Something I’ve found funny and ironic is that China is the birthplace of acupuncture, but damned if I could find one! I personally know 4 acupuncture physicians in South Florida, none of whom are Chinese, and it would be far easier to get it there, than here!

Well, it was worth the early wake up call on my day off and the drive there! In the course of 90-minutes he gave me massage, acupuncture, acupressure, chiropractic, cranio-sacral AND reflexology treatments all done on a massage table waterbed! The bed was HEATED and had the cut out for your face. I have never been so comfortable face down on a massage table. Worth it and a great way to start my day!

After the treatment, Kitty and I met Vivien at the bus stop and I rode the PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION system here in Hangzhou for the first time. And it wasn’t bad and it’s CHEAP. Vivien and I hopped off the bus to get a cafe latte…

Riding Public Transportation

Yummy Cafe Latte at 35mm Coffee Shop

Then off to the end of Gudun Road to pick up the trail! There is a gate next to a gas station that leads to as set of stairs that go up, up, up, up the mountains and then the trail takes you across the top of the ridge… we decided to walk for an hour and turn around and walk back… it is up and down for most of the walk and the views, while not so great in photos because of the smog, was spectacular. Steps taken going up, prior to leveling off 3754! Total walk that we did was 2.67 miles in just under 2 hours. It was awesome and I can’t wait to do it again!

After our nice hike I had a lovely dinner with one of my favorite families and play time with my buddy Soren… 2-year old wonder child! I then walked the 3.5 miles/5.6 kms home at a pretty brisk pace 46:17.

I took 2 days off from running and miss it. I think mountain hiking made up for it 🙂

Nice Sunday… I hope your weekend was as nice 🙂

Ciao!

Pics of the walk:

Have to have a shoe pic!

The views were stunning through the smog... LOL

ViviMokaLaka

Reflections

Posted on March 10, 2012 by flamidwyfe

This post was written on Saturday and apparently didn’t publish… So here goes!

Went with the marketing team to Yiwu today. This town is a hub of manufacturing of clothes here in China and was a 2 hour bus trip southwest of Hangzhou. Lots of Arabs here and that means one awesome thing… ARAB FOOD!!!! I had mixed grill for lunch with a teeny bit of hummus… Mmmmmm Mmmmmm Good!

Time for reflecting… I would LOVE it if you would respond to the question with a comment. I think it’s possible to comment anonymously if you’d prefer 🙂

This is from the site Thoughtquestions.com The picture is mine from visit home Christmas 2010.

MY ANSWER: TRANSFORMING

My son-in-law Chris was out talking to the neighbor. Nick’s ex Ashlee is marrying a different man, and I’m bursting with happiness for her. Jennifer continues her journey of recovery, Tiffany is going to be a surrogate mother and I’m still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up… But my body is sure transforming!

Tell me about YOUR family… One word is just fine, but if you’d like… elaborate 🙂

Ciao!